Eco-teen vies for $50K grant

Charles Orgbon and other teens work on a green project: (Photo courtesy of Greening Forward via Facebook)

Remember Charles Orgbon? He's the 15-year-old CEO of an eco-company called Recycling Education (now called Greening Forward) that I wrote about a few months ago. What I love about this young man is that he never seems to stop dreaming and he never seems to stop thinking — and fortunately for the planet, he focuses most of his big dreams and thoughts on helping folks go green.

Case in point: Orgbon's latest effort to secure a $50,000 from Pepsi Refresh to help spread his green message. Currently, the teen runs the environmental advocacy group Greening Forward, where he works to promote environmental awareness and help young people take action on environmental issues. Greening Forward supports youth groups in two local public schools and helps disseminate educational materials to more schools nearby. Student projects have included beautification efforts in nearby neighborhoods, a mail-in recycling program and a celebration of America Recycles Day.

But Orgbon believes the organization could be even bigger, and that's where that $50K comes in. Just what would this 15-year-old do with $50,000? A lot more than I would have at 15, that's for sure. For starters, Orgbon plans to hire some staff. Then he plans to fund the three major programs of Green Forward: The Earth Savers Club, The Workplace Sustainability Project and the Sustainability Fund for Low-Income Communities.

Funding from the Pepsi Refresh Project would allow Greening Forward to open more chapters of its student group, the Earth Savers Club, financing other eco-teen's ideas for going green nationwide. The money would also allow Green Forward to expand its work in low-income communities, winterizing homes, beautifying rundown neighborhoods, and helping nonprofits and small businesses finance recycling programs.

Ambitious? Definitely — but that seems to be Charles Orgbon's middle name.

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